SANTIAGO – The Gendarmería de Chile on Wednesday reported the death of the first inmate in the country due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
As reported by the agency, a 75-year-old man who was admitted to the Public Assistance Emergency Hospital (Former Central Post) after being diagnosed with the disease breathed his last on Tuesday.
The victim had been serving a sentence since June 2014 in the Santiago Sur Criminal Unit, reportedly for the crime of child abuse and rape, and had to finish his prison term in 2023.
He was referred to the medical compound on May 28 after showing symptoms associated with COVID-19.
“As soon as he entered the health facility, the inmate underwent a PCR test, which yielded a positive yesterday, June 2, the same day that his death occurred,” the Gendarmería said in a statement.
His relatives were informed about the death by “the social workers, from the penal unit.”
The penal unit has 88 inmates who have been confirmed to have been infected with coronavirus, 44 of them already recovered. In the case of asymptomatic patients and without the need for hospitalization, they are being treated in the facilities enabled for it (penal hospital, isolation centers, Module D) and in case they require hospital assistance, they are referred to the corresponding health centers.
